Settling
by orintheus
Summary: Daemon AU. Mikasa, Eren and Armin. The times when their daemons settle.
1. Chapter 1

1.)

Mikasa is the first in their group to have a settled daemon then again Eren thinks, maybe it's always been settled even before he's met her but something tells him it has to do with the man she'd killed in self-defense. Her daemon settles on a form Eren has never seen before, it might have been some creature that still lives outside the walls or maybe an animal gone extinct. Armin's books don't provide any clue towards it and Mikasa cares very little for what it is. It only reaches up to Mikasa's knee but it's got claws and isn't afraid to use them and has tufts of black fur and some white lining it. Walking on all four legs, Armin says it looks like a smaller version of a bear. An animal that lives in caves and is solitary for the most part. It suits Mikasa's personality.

When they get into fights about Eren's carelessness, Isamu flairs himself up as big as he can get and Eren doesn't know how he does it because Amalia puffs herself up in bigger and brighter forms in retribution. But in the end, Isamu always ends up carrying her by her scruff just like Mikasa always gets him by his scruff.

2.)

Eren's daemon settles when he's not all there. It's when Mr. Hannes drags them off from where his mother was eaten. He's numb by the time they get him onto the boat and doesn't even notice Amalia's form. It's different from the other shapes she's had over the years, preferring smaller forms that could easily fit inside his pockets for safe keeping. This time she barely fits on the boat as a young filly. She's a beautiful mixture of brown and white.

He almost doesn't make it into the Military Academy because of her settled form. The people are worried, smaller daemons are easier to keep track of, bigger ones cause more problems than they're worth. Amalia stamps her feet in tandem with Eren's anger. He throws a fit, rants and raves at them (while Amalia is restless in her spot). So much so that the people have no choice but to let him in due to his stubbornness and sheer force of will.

3.)

Armin is aware that his daemon is settled in the middle of their first mission. The one where he'd had to watch helplessly as all his teammates died, their daemons fading. Flickering out like a light when their eyes closed for the last time. He's clutching onto Ida, somewhere in his books he'd remembered seeing her form. They called it a monkey. She curls her tail around his neck as if in sympathy but she's also making distressed noises too.

He strokes her fur gently trying to calm her down. If Amalia were here, she'd probably nuzzle Ida, soothing her but she isn't and they'll both just have to accept the fact that Eren and Amalia won't be there anymore.

* * *

For those curious:  
Mikasa's daemon is a wolverine, Eren's is a horse and Armin's is a capuchin monkey.

Isamu- courage in Japanese  
Amalia- worker in German  
Ida- knowledge in Irish

(I might do more of these for the other characters.)


	2. Chapter 2

4.)

Jean's daemon settles when they're burning Marco's body, his ashes scattered to the wind. It's a different shape compared to the chameleon form his daemon always has, looking like one of those birds that are always around town. Blue jays, people called them. No one comments on it. No one says anything about the fact that he'd bragged and bragged on how his daemon had settled on the chameleon form.

When he meets back up with everyone, Armin is the first to say anything about his daemon's form. He comments with a soft (almost remorseful tone when he realizes Marco is nowhere to be seen): "I like Gabriele's colours."

Jean stares at him for a moment, sees that he too has a settled daemon gained through pain and suffering alone.

5.)

Reiner's settled daemon is strange to Eren. It's true, that he shouldn't discriminate against other people's settled daemons. But he has always found Reiner's own bizarre because Reiner is like a big brother to him, which is far from the spider form his daemon has. Whenever he talks to Reiner and Berolt about his family and the fall of Wall Maria, Desdemona twitches uncontrollably, becomes agitated by the story. He thinks it's because Reiner isn't as strong as he makes himself out to be, that maybe it's too much to take in so he doesn't repeat it again.

_A settled daemon shouldn't define you as a person._

6.)

Like Reiner, Berolt's daemon is odd. It's a king snake, according to Berolt, the village where him and Reiner have grown up have these types of snakes. They're not poisonous, nor are they dangerous. They tend to be docile, unless provoked. A lot of the girls like the colour of it, all the reds and yellows.

However, unlike Reiner's daemon, Berolt's always goes completely still when Eren tells them about his childhood. Sometimes, he even strokes its head with his thumb, as if to console it.

7.)

Levi's daemon is a dog or at least Eren thinks it's a dog. It certainly looks like one, a large black one, not unlike the mutt Mr. Hannes has as his. His daemon is always quirking up it's ears whenever Levi is talking to someone, busy doing paperwork or when he's immersed in something else. Something that requires his full attention.

Hange pulls him away for a bit, her eyes glinting mischievously. She pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "You think Levi's daemon is a dog, don't you?"

He purses his lips at the accusation.

"I thought so too but when we were surveying the area this one time. We heard something strange, naturally we just had to see what was making this noise. When we reached up to it, we realized it was just a bunch of animals making the sound. And you know what? These animals looked exactly like Levi's daemon, only they were a completely different colour."

* * *

Levi's daemon is a black wolf.

IDK sorry if anyone wanted Connie, Ymir, etc. These characters were fresh in my head but I'll probably go back and finish the rest of them, along with the original Squad Levi.


End file.
